Alcoholic Drinks: Expenditure

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent in net present value terms on alcoholic drinks in the United Kingdom in 1950; 1960; 1970; 1980; 1990; 1995; 2000; and 2003.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl on behalf of the National Statistician, dated 22 November 2005.
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how much was spent in net present value terms on alcoholic drinks in the United Kingdom in 1950; 1960; 1970; 1980; 1990; 1995; 2000; and 2003. I am replying in her absence.
	Expenditure on alcoholic drinks can be made by both businesses and households. This expenditure can either be for final consumption purposes or as intermediate consumption. An assumption has been made that the interest of this Parliamentary Question is in the final consumption expenditure of households on alcohol.
	The Question asks for net present value data. The closest we have to this are data based on 2002 prices, which removes the effect of price inflation from the data, using the prices prevalent in 2002. The Question also asks for data in a number of years. The earliest year for which data are available is 1956.
	
		Household final consumption expenditure on alcohol in the United Kingdom (based on 2002 prices in £ million)
		
			 Year  
			 1956 13,712 
			 1960 15,568 
			 1970 23,360 
			 1980 32,872 
			 1990 34,916 
			 1995 32,577 
			 2000 36,583 
			 2003 38,241 
		
	
	This information is available in the quarterly publication Consumer Trends, which can be downloaded in pdf format, free of charge on the National Statistics website at the following address:www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=242&Pos=&ColRank=1&Rank=422.
	Also included is a spreadsheet showing the above data, and the data in current price terms (the prices prevailing at the time in each period) and a split of these data between spirits/wine/beer. These data are also provided with a split of whether the alcohol was bought in a shop/supermarket (retail) or whether it was bought in a restaurant/bar/hotel.
	
		Current prices, £ million
		
			  Total Spirits Wine Beer 
			  Total Retail Restaurants/bars/hotels Total Retail Restaurants/bars/hotels Total Retail Restaurants/bars/hotels Total Retail Restaurants/bars/hotels 
			 1950 734 494   
			 1956 866   232   87   547   
			 1960 962   285   111   566   
			 1970 2,300 644 1,656 612 200 412 333 257 76 1,355 187 1,168 
			 1980 9,953 2,787 7,166 2,720 864 1,856 1,913 1,115 798 5,320 808 4,512 
			 1990 21,801 6,104 15,697 4,985 1,954 3,031 4,471 2,441 2,030 12,345 1,709 10,636 
			 1995 26,655 7,257 19,398 5,284 2,231 3,053 6,529 2,877 3,652 14,842 2,149 12,693 
			 2000 34,639 10,395 24,244 6,795 2,777 4,018 10,782 4,621 6,161 17,062 2,997 14,065 
			 2003 38,788 12,045 26,743 7,714 3,183 4,531 12,221 5,733 6,488 18,853 3,129 15,724 
		
	
	
		Constant price (chained volume) measure, reference year 2002, £ million(1)
		
			  
			 1950 
			 1956 13,712 12,673   
			 1960 15,568 13,838   
			 1970 23,360 5,062 18,730 3,968 1,249 2,900 2,374 1,852 458 19,110 2,098 17,177 
			 1980 32,872 6,647 27,019 6,926 1,758 5,553 4,855 2,622 2,111 21,549 2,296 19,474 
			 1990 34,916 7,656 27,795 6,850 2,213 4,786 6,856 3,237 3,482 21,172 2,158 19,285 
			 1995 32,577 7,594 25,306 5,539 2,065 3,493 8,488 3,199 5,343 18,593 2,306 16,405 
			 2000 36,583 10,321 26,296 7,149 2,741 4,420 11,405 4,669 6,749 18,028 2,901 15,122 
			 2003 38,241 11,845 26,396 7,798 3,147 4,651 12,182 5,616 6,566 18,261 3,082 15,179 
		
	
	
		Implied price index, 2002 = 100(2)
		
			  
			 1950 
			 1956 6.3 4.3   
			 1960 6.2 4.1   
			 1970 9.8 12.7 8.8 15.4 16 14.2 14 13.9 16.6 7.1 8.9 6.8 
			 1980 30.3 41.9 26.5 39.3 49.1 33.4 39.4 42.5 37.8 24.7 35.2 23.2 
			 1990 62.4 79.7 56.5 72.8 88.3 63.3 65.2 75.4 58.3 58.3 79.2 55.2 
			 1995 81.8 95.6 76.7 95.4 108 87.4 76.9 89.9 68.4 79.8 93.2 77.4 
			 2000 94.7 100.7 92.2 95 101.3 90.9 94.5 99 91.3 94.6 103.3 93 
			 2003 101.4 101.7 101.3 98.9 101.1 97.4 100.3 102.1 98.8 103.2 101.5 103.6 
		
	
	1 This is the measure of the "real" level of expenditure removing the effect of price movements (rather than the "nominal" level of expenditure as measured by current prices).
	2 Calculated as current price divided by volume measure. This series shows (in index form) the movements in alcohol prices over time.

Israel: Bethlehem

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking, together with the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, to ensure full access for all to Bethlehem, including Rachel's Tomb, especially during Advent and Christmas 2005; whether this matter has been on the agendas of the European Council of Ministers and the quartet; and what plans they have to raise it with these bodies and with Israel.

Lord Triesman: Bethlehem is of unique religious and cultural significance including to Christians during Advent and Christmas. Restrictions on access and freedom of worship in Bethlehem are one of the many negative consequences of the Israeli closure regime in the West Bank.
	The European Council of Ministers and the quartet continue to raise freedom of movement with the Israelis, in particular the routing of the barrier on occupied land and freedom of access to religious sites. The UK does so bilaterally too.

British Overseas Territories: Student Fees

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will review the fees payable by students from British Overseas Territories who wish to study at United Kingdom universities and who are currently obliged to pay the overseas student rate.

Lord Adonis: There are no plans to review the fees payable by students from British Overseas Territories. Individuals from the overseas territories are treated equitably with others who enjoy British citizenship. They have complete freedom of movement to come to and live in the UK, which enables them to build up the three-year residency requirement needed in order to be entitled to home tuition fee status. It is important that tuition fee policy is consistent across the piece for British citizens.

Careless Driving

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the latest available United Kingdom figures for the number of convictions for careless driving leading to injury or death, by age groups.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Available data for the specific offence of careless driving, contrary to Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 in England, Wales and Scotland or Article 12, Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, do not indicate whether the incidents to which they relate involved injury or death.

China: EU Arms Embargo

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their assessment of the effectiveness of the current European Union embargo on arms sales to China; and of the integrity of the code of conduct on such sales.

Lord Triesman: The Government do not believe that the EU arms embargo is an entirely effective way to control the EU's strategic exports to China. Member states do not share a common interpretation of the scope of the embargo.
	In practice, the EU code of conduct, rather than the embargo, is the primary instrument with which the possible export to China of military listed goods and technology is considered. The code has either been integrated directly into member states' national law, or they consider it binding guidance on the implementation of national law. The code effectively controls the EU's exports for countries like North Korea, Iran, Syria and Libya, where no EU or UN embargoes are in place.
	In the UK, the code is considered binding guidance under the Export Control Act, and we accordingly treat it as seriously as the rest of the Act. The code is used in more than 80 per cent. of all our decisions to refuse export licences for China.

Citizenship

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who devised the questions contained in the new citizenship test; and on the basis of what criteria they were devised.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The questions were devised by UfI (University for Industry) together with experts from the Advisory Board for Naturalisation and Integration. All the questions are based on information contained in the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A journey to Citizenship.

Cycling on Pavements

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the Home Office intends to reply to questions on the level of enforcement of the law in respect of cycling on pavements raised with it by the spokesman on transport matters in the House of Lords, the Lord Davies of Oldham, following representations he received from the Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 31 March relating to danger to pedestrians.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The noble Lord's concerns were raised in correspondence which unfortunately appears not to have been copied to the Home Office. Cycling on the pavement is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835. Its enforcement is an operational matter for the police. Individual chief officers of police are best placed to decide on the level of priority given to this offence in the light of its perceived seriousness, other demands on police time and resources, and local circumstances. To help the police with enforcement we introduced the option of a £30 fixed penalty notice for cycling inconsiderately or irresponsibly on the pavement. We have also made it possible for community support officers (CSOs) and persons accredited under the Police Reform Act, a swell as police officers, to issue such notices. Particular local problems can be identified by local crime and disorder reduction partnerships and addressed in their strategies. As with other offending, we would encourage members of the public to inform the police of specific problems and of particularly dangerous behaviour to help them target their responses effectively. The cycling infrastructure and environment are currently under improvement as part of the national cycling strategy. We expect this improvement to reduce the incentive to cycle on the pavement for reasons of safety and convenience. Since the introduction of the fixed penalty notice in 1999, when one person was killed, no other person has been killed in such an accident between 2000 and 2003 and the total number of casualties has declined from 87 in 1999 to 51 in 2003.

EU Constitutional Treaty

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 October (WA 115) which stated that "the Constitutional Treaty will be ratified in the United Kingdom only after a referendum", whether the use of the verb "will" rather than the conditional form "would" is a grammatical error or an indication of the strength of the Government's view that the treaty should be ratified.

Lord Triesman: Neither the future nor the conditional would indicate any change to the Government's policy. It remains as previously stated.

Israel: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to persuade the government of Israel to recognise the obligations of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Lord Triesman: The Government have on a number of occasions called on Israel to accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state and also to the Chemical Weapons Convention, and will continue to do so. We take appropriate opportunities to discuss all aspects of non-proliferation with representatives of the Israeli Government.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the Israeli Government concerning the shooting dead of a 12 year-old boy, Ahmed-el-Khalib, in Jenin.

Lord Triesman: We have made no specific representations to the Israeli Government concerning this particular case.
	We deplore all civilian casualties, especially children, which have resulted from this conflict. We call on the Palestinian Authority to prevent acts of violence originating in the occupied territories. We recognise Israel's right to defend itself from acts of violence, but call upon the Israeli Government to act with restraint and in accordance with international law.

Israel: Occupied Territories

Baroness Tonge: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding their compliance with the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Lord Triesman: We regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli Government about their activities in the occupied territories and the need for Israel to comply with international law, especially on the questions of settlements and the routing of the barrier, stressing that both are contrary to international law.

Licensing Act 2003

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in cases where an appeal against the award of a licence under the Licensing Act 2003 has been granted by the magistrates' court, the court has power to award costs against the licensee.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In any appeal, the courts have the power to award costs as they see fit. That would include the award of costs against the licensee, if the licensee were party to the appeal.

Licensing Act 2003

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's helpline is for licensees only, and not for other groups such as residents' associations, police officers, and local authority officials who may need to ask questions about the Licensing Act 2003.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The licensing helpline was set up for the specific purpose of advising licence holders, at a time when the numbers of applications for conversions of existing licences was very low. It was part of a joint strategy by the Government and the Local Government Association to promote and encourage applications.
	The Civic Trust has issued a guide to the Licensing Act 2003 for local residents and residents' associations. The Government have issued guidance for police forces and guidance for local authorities under Section 182 of the 2003 Act which was approved by both Houses of Parliament.

Northern Ireland: Pirate Radio Stations

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many pirate radio stations in Northern Ireland were closed down in 2004 and in the first nine months of 2005.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: This matter is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), as the independent regulator for the communications sector. Ofcom derives its main powers and duties directly from statute rather than by delegation from the Secretary of State.
	It is accountable to Parliament in its own right. We have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the noble Lord and to send us a copy of his response. Copies of the chief executive's letter will also be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Pensions: Reciprocal Uprating Agreements

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will seek to reach such reciprocal agreements to end the practice of freezing state pensions for retired British citizens living in British Overseas Territories; and, if so, with whom they would need to negotiate such agreements.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have no plans to enter into reciprocal agreements with any of the British Overseas Territories.

Royal Military Police:Special Investigation Branch

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much funding was provided to the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police for each of the past five years.

Lord Drayson: The expenditure by the Special Investigation Branch for each of the past five years is as listed below.
	
		
			 Financial Year Expenditure (£K) 
			 2000–01 *9,060 
			 2001–02 10,055 
			 2002–03 10,142 
			 2003–04 12,427 
			 2004–05 12,034 
		
	
	* This figure does not include some investigation costs which cannot be separately identified.

Service Prosecutions

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the reply by the Lord Drayson on 7 November (HL Deb, col. 417) concerning the consultation with Law Officers in bringing the case of the seven members and former members of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, how they define a Law Officer; and at what level of seniority the decision was made.

Lord Goldsmith: Further to the reply of the Lord Drayson on 7 November concerning the consultation with the Law Officers in bringing the case of the seven members and former member of the 3rd battalion the Parachute Regiment, the Law Officers are defined as being the Attorney-General and the Solicitor-General who is the Attorney-General's deputy. Under the Law Officers Act 1997 the Solicitor-General can do anything the Attorney-General can do on my behalf or in my place.
	The Army Prosecuting Authority took the decision that there should be prosecutions in this case. As three of the accused were no longer serving soldiers it was not possible to prosecute them by court martial without my express consent in accordance with Section 132A of the Army Act 1955. The APA sought my views on the appropriate jurisdiction and my consent to prosecute advising that it considered that there was a realistic prospect of conviction against all the accused on a joint charge of murder and a second charge of violent disorder. I accepted the advice that there was sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and granted my consent to the prosecution of the three soldiers as required.

Service Prosecutions

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who assessed the evidence of the witnesses brought from Iraq for the trial of the seven members and former members of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment; who made the decision to pay these witnesses; how much they were paid; and what expenses they were given.

Lord Drayson: The Army Prosecuting Authority assessed the evidence in this case.
	They received no fee but were paid a flat rate allowance of $100 per day by the Military Court Service to cover incidental expenses and home commitments. This amount is broadly in line with the current financial loss allowance payable under Part V of the costs in Criminal Cases (General) Regulations 1986 issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Television Licensing

Lord Skelmersdale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why, in view of the potential costs incurred by viewers, the TV Licensing Authority is encouraging viewers to pay by direct debit weeks before a television licence renewal is due.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The BBC has responsibility for the administration and enforcement of the television licensing system and TV Licensing carries out the day to day administration and enforcement as agent for the corporation. I have therefore asked the BBC's head of revenue management to consider the question raised by the noble Lord and to write to him direct. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

US: Terrorist Detainees

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the United States Government with a view to seeking confirmation of the existence or otherwise of secret prisons for terrorist detainees.

Lord Triesman: We are aware of press reports claiming that there are Central Intelligence Agency detention facilities in eastern Europe. We raise a range of issues with the United States on a regular basis.

War Crimes: Investigation

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy on the arrest of alleged war criminals and torturers who enter the United Kingdom's jurisdiction; whether the police at ports of entry have lists of such persons against whom there is sufficient evidence to justify criminal proceedings; if so, how many such persons are known to the police; and from what countries they come.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The investigation of war crimes or crimes against humanity is an operational matter for the police. Responsibility for the actions and decisions taken by the police in the course of their duties rests with the chief officer of the police force concerned.

War Pensions

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will introduce new policies to assist war widows of deceased military personnel from the 1939–45 hostilities, who originally enlisted outside the United Kingdom.

Lord Drayson: A war widow's pension may be awarded under the United Kingdom war pensions scheme where the death of a member of the British Armed Forces is due to service. The scheme has only ever applied to members of military units based in the United Kingdom or the Isle of Man. There are no plans to change this policy.
	Responsibility for pension provision of military personnel who enlisted and served with locally raised colonial forces is the responsibility of the government of the territory in which they were raised, under arrangements made when they gained their independence.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people were convicted, in each of the past five years, of offences under Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Lord Bach: There are no specific data available for convictions secured for offences under Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The only figures available relate to the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for offences under the categories of Cruelty to Animals and Wild Bird Protection Acts, which may include offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. These data, which include the results of proceedings, can be found through the following link at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html.

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many prosecutions have been brought in each of the past five years for offences under Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Lord Bach: There are no specific data available for prosecutions brought for offences under Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The only figures available relate to the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for offences under the categories of Cruelty to Animals and Wild Bird Protection Acts, which may include offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. These data can be found through the following link; www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html.

Young Adult Offenders

Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	By what name the project to develop a strategy and standard for the management of younger adult offenders, announced in the Written Statement by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 7 November (WS 44), is to be known; by whom it will be led; what resources will be allocated to it; when it is expected to complete its task; whether they will report its progress to the House; and, if so, when they expect to make the first such report; and
	Whether the project to develop a strategy and standard for the management of younger adult offenders is tasked to recommend changes to existing practice or to make changes; and
	Which organisations will be consulted by the project to develop a strategy and standard for the management of younger adult offenders.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The young adult offenders project will be led by the Director of Headquarters Functions within the National Offender Management Service. It will be supported by three staff and will be able to call on resources for workshops and travel as necessary. It is intended to conclude its work in time for the implementation of Custody Plus, which is at present expected to be in September 2006. Its recommendations will be made to Ministers. Any standard or instructions arising from it will be placed in the Library. The following organisations have been invited to sit on a reference group whose views will inform the project: Social Exclusion Unit of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Trust for the Study of Adolescence, the Prince's Trust, the Community Service Volunteers, RAINER Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, NACRO, Prison Reform Trust, Howard League, YMCA.